Engine

ABSTRACT

An internal combustion engine comprising a block providing four equiangularly arranged cylinders opening toward a common center, a piston reciprocable in each cylinder, each piston comprising a main body formed at its outer end with an outwardly tapering port, and a plug for closing the tapered port at times, a first drive piston reciprocable across the common center and cooperative with one diametrically opposed pair of plugs, a second drive piston reciprocable across the common center and cooperative with the other diametrically opposed pair of plugs, a link connected at one end to the first drive piston and connected at its other end to the second drive piston, a rotor mounted on an axis which is perpendicular to the plane which is common to the axes of the cylinders, and a pivot connecting the midportion of the link eccentrically to the rotor to drive the rotor when the drive pistons are reciprocated in sequence.

United States Avery [11] 3,831,565 Aug, 27, 1974 ENGINE [76] Inventor:Hillard M. Avery, RR. 3, Box

140A, Morgantown, Ind. 46160 [22] Filed: Sept. 10, 1973 [21] Appl. No.:395,954

[52] US. Cl. 123/47 AA, 123/47 R, 123/55 A,

123/73 CB [51] Int. Cl. F011 11/00, F02b 75/22 [58] Field of Search123/47 R, 47 A, 47 AA,

123/47 AB, 55 R, 55 A, 55 AA, 65 A, 73 C,

73 CA, 73 CB, 56 AC, 56 BC, 56 C, 56 R Primary Examiner-Wendell E. BurnsAttorney, Agent, or Firm--1-lood & Coffey ABSTRACT An internalcombustion engine comprising a block providing four equiangularlyarranged cylinders opening toward a common center, a piston reciprocablein each cylinder, each piston comprising a main body formed at its outerend with an outwardly tapering port, and a plug for closing the taperedport at times, a first drive piston reciprocable across the commoncenter and cooperative with one diametrically opposed pair of plugs, asecond drive piston reciprocable across the common center andcooperative with the other diametrically opposed pair of plugs, a linkcon nected at one end to the first drive piston and connected at itsother end to the second drive piston, a rotor mounted on an axis whichis perpendicular to the plane which is common to the axes of thecylinders, and a pivot connecting the midportion of the linkeccentrically to the rotor to drive the rotor when the drive pistons arereciprocated in sequence.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEnmsznsu sum 1 or 2 Fig.2

IPATENTEUAHBZHBH 3.881 .565

SHEET 20F 2' ENGINE The present invention relates to an engine which maybe pneumatically or hydraulically actuated but which is primarilydesigned to be an internal combustion engine. It has been specificallyillustrated and will be described, therefore, as an internal combustionengine although it is to be understood that it may electively be driveneither hydraulically or pneumatically.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a small, light,inexpensive internal combustion engine which shall be unusually powerfulin relation to its size and weight. A further object is to provide suchan engine in which each cylinder will fire once during each rotationalcycle of its output shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide an en gine of thecharacter described but including two drive pistons, each arranged tocross the path of the other twice during each revolution of the outputshaft. A still further object of the invention is to provide, in such anengine, a piston structure consisting of a main piston body open at itsinner end and having a port at its outer end, together with a plug foreach piston port, the plug being so constructed and arranged that,during the compression stroke and during a major'portion of the powerstroke of the composite piston, the plug will close the piston port, andthe plug will reopen the piston port only after the piston body has beenstopped and the associated cylinder is to be exhausted of prod ucts ofcombustion.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this inventionmay be embodied in the form illus-' trated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of my engine takensubstantially on the planewhich is common to the axes of the four cylinders;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially at right angles to theplane of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat simplified section showing an intermediate positionof the parts after an explosion in the combustion chamber of the uppercylinder;

FIG. 4 is a similar view taken after an explosion in the lowermostcylinder;

FIG. 5 is a similar view taken after an explosion in the right-handcylinder; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary section illustrating details of acheck valve in a fuel inlet passage.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and primarily to FIG. I, itwill be seen that I have illustrated a block 10 formed with a bore 11counterbored to define an outwardly-facing step 12 and a furtheroutwardly-facing step 13. A cylindrical sleeve 14 bears on the step 12and the block is formed with a through bore 15 coaxial with the bore 11.

A cylindrical shell 16 rests on the step 12 and snugly surrounds thesleeve 14. A composite piston comprises a main body 17 open'at its innerend and formed with an outwardly-tapered port 18 in its outer end. Aplug 19 conforming to the shape of the port 18 and having a skirt 20 isshorter than the piston body 17 and is reciprocably received therein.

A drive piston 21 is reciprocable in the through bore 15 and, in thepositions of the parts illustrated in FIG. I, bears against the plug 19to hold the same in portclosing position.

A head 22 threaded onto the body 10 is provided with a threaded bore 23opening into the combustion chamber above the piston 17 for thereception of a conventional igniter, such as a spark plug.

Concentric with the sleeve 14 and symmetrically opposed thereto is asleeve 24 in which is reciprocably guided a second primary piston 25which is open at its inner end and is'provided at its outer end with aconcentric, tapered port 26. A plug 27 similar to the plug 19 isreciprocable within the primary piston 25 to close the port 26, attimes.

Ninety degrees removed from the above-described cylinders is a fourthcylinder partially defined by the sleeve 28 in which is reciprocablyreceived the primary piston 29 having a tapered port 30* at its outerend. The plug 31 which is shorter than the piston 29 is reciprocablyreceived within said piston and is movable to a position in which itcloses the port 30.

Diametrically opposite the sleeve 28 is a further sleeve 32 defining acylinder in which the primary piston 33 is reciprocable. The piston 33is formed to provide an outwardly-tapering port 33' with whichcooperates a plug 34 which is reciprocable within the piston body 33.

A'second drive piston 35 is reciprocable within the through bore 36which intersects the through bore 15 at its midpoint. Links 37 and 42are pivoted at one end substantially to the midpoint of the drive piston21 by means of a pivot 38; and said links are similarly connected attheir other ends to the drive pinion 35 by means of a similar pin 39.Substantially at the midpoint of the length of the links 37 and 42, astud 40 is fixed to said links and preferably carries .an antifrictionroller 41. Similarly, a stud 43 projects in the opposite direction andmay carry an antifriction roller 44.

A disc or plate 45 is journalled in a suitable recess 49 in the block 10and is perforated to register with an eccentric socket 46 in the base ofa rotary cam 47, said cam base being suitably secured to the plate 45 bymeans of screws 48 or other equivalent fastening means.

The antifriction roller 44 on the stud 43 is similarly received in aocket 54 in the base of a gear or sprocket 55, a plate 53 formed with asuitable aperture being journalled behind the member 55, secured to thatmember by screws 56 or other suitable fastening means and turning withsaid member 55 within a socket 57 formed in the block 10.

As will be explained more fully hereinafter, as the drive pistons 21 and35 are caused to reciprocate in sequence, the pins 40 and 43 will travelin a circle. Since those pins are engaged in the eccentric sockets 46and 54 in the rotor elements, such travel of the pins 40 and 43 willcause synchronous rotation of the elements 47 and 55.

Each cylinder is provided with an intake port 60, 61, 62, 63 definedpartly in the shell 1.6 and partlyin the sleeve 14. As is most clearlyillustrated in FIG. 6, the port portion formed in the sleeve 14 is aperimetral external grooved opening at one or more points through theinner surface of the sleeve, while the port portion formed in the shell16 is outwardly tapered; and a ball valve 64 is received in said port toclose against the taper under the influence of pressure within the asso-Operation With the parts in the positions of FIG. 1, let us assume acompressed fuel charge in the combustion chamber 74 and an uncompressedfuel charge in the combustion chamber 75. When ignition takes place inchamber 74, the piston 17 will be moved downwardly. Drive piston 21,being currently in contact with plug 19, will thereby be moveddownwardly to move the linkage 37, 42; and the engagement of the pins 40and 43 with the rotors 47 and 55 will cause the linkage to move thedrive piston 35 to the left. Drive piston 35 promptly encounters plug 34to move the same into closing relation with the port 33', whereaftercontinued movement of the drive piston 35 to the left will carry with itthe piston 33 to compress the fuel charge in the chamber 75.

At about the same time, the piston 17 will encounter the stop 13; butthe plug 19 will continue to move downwardly under the influence of theexpanding gases in the chamber 74. Such downward movement of the plug 19relative to the piston 17 will open the exhaust passages 69 in said plugto permit gases of combustion to escape to the interior of the block andthence, through exhaust ports 78, to the atmosphere.

At the instant of ignition, the piston 17 seals the fuel intake ports60; but as said piston clears said ports, the internal pressure withinthe chamber 74 will close the ball valves 64. When the plug 19encounters the stop 13, further inward movement of said plug will, ofcourse, be stopped; but the drive piston 21 will continue to movedownwardly until the drive piston 35 attains the left-hand limit of itsstroke, when the drive piston 21 will be stopped in a median positionbridging the through bore 36.

Now, the compressed fuel in the combustion chamber 75 will be ignitedand the piston 33 and plug 34 will be driven toward the right. The drivepiston 21 will thereby be caused, in the manner above described, to movedownwardly in the through bore to engage and entrain the plug 27.Meantime, a fuel charge will have been injected into the chamber 76 and,as the plug encounters and closes the port 26, the piston 25 will beentrained to compress the charge in the chamber 76. As the piston 25moves to the end of its stroke, the drive piston 35 will stop inbridging relation to the through bore 15. Exhaust from the chamber 75will occur in the manner above described.

Meantime, a charge of fuel will be injected into the chamber 77 and,when the charge in the chamber 76 is ignited, the parts will move in themanner above described through an intermediate position illustrated inFIG. 4 to a position in which the charge in the chamber 77 has beencompressed and the gases of combustion are exhausted from the chamber76.

A fuel charge having been injected into the chamber 74, ignition of thecompressed charge in the chamber 77 will cause the parts to move throughthe positions illustrated in F IG. 5 back to the positions illustratedin FIG. 1.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an engine, block means formed to provide four equiangularly spacedcylinders opening toward a common center, a composite pistonreciprocable in each cylinder, each such piston comprising a main bodyopen toward said center and having an axial port tapered away from saidcenter and a plug reciprocable relative to said main body to open andclose said port, a first drive piston reciprocable across said commoncenter and cooperative with one diametrically opposed pair of saidplugs, a second drive piston reciprocable across said common center andcooperative with the other diametrically opposed pair of plugs, linkmeans connected at one end to said first drive piston and connected atthe other end to said second drive piston, rotor means mounted on anaxis perpendicular to the plane which is common to said cylinders, andmeans pivotally connecting the midportion of said link meanseccentrically to said rotor means.

2. The engine of claim 1 in which each cylinder is closed at its endremote from said common center to define, with its piston, a combustionchamber, and means for injecting fuel into said combustion chamberssuccessively at times when said pistons are retracted.

3. The engine of claim 2 in which each cylinder is provided with a fuelinlet port near its closed end, said port being closed by its associatedpiston at the initiation of combustion in its associated combustionchamber.

4. The engine of claim 3 in which each plug is formed with an exhaustport which is closed when said plug is in piston-port-closing position.

5. The engine of claim 3 including a one-way valve in said fuel inletport closing said inlet port during combustion in its associatedcombustion chamber.

6. The engine of claim 1 in which each cylinder is counterbored todefine, near its inner end, an outwardly facing stop to limit inwardmovement of said piston body and of said plug, said piston body beinglonger than said plug so that, under the influence of combustionpressure in any cylinder, the associated piston body and plug will moveinwardly together until said body encounters said stop, whereafter saidplug will continue to move inwardly until said plug encounters saidstop, thereby opening the axial port of said piston body.

1. In an engine, block means formed to provide four equiangularly spacedcylinders opening toward a common center, a cOmposite pistonreciprocable in each cylinder, each such piston comprising a main bodyopen toward said center and having an axial port tapered away from saidcenter and a plug reciprocable relative to said main body to open andclose said port, a first drive piston reciprocable across said commoncenter and cooperative with one diametrically opposed pair of saidplugs, a second drive piston reciprocable across said common center andcooperative with the other diametrically opposed pair of plugs, linkmeans connected at one end to said first drive piston and connected atthe other end to said second drive piston, rotor means mounted on anaxis perpendicular to the plane which is common to said cylinders, andmeans pivotally connecting the midportion of said link meanseccentrically to said rotor means.
 2. The engine of claim 1 in whicheach cylinder is closed at its end remote from said common center todefine, with its piston, a combustion chamber, and means for injectingfuel into said combustion chambers successively at times when saidpistons are retracted.
 3. The engine of claim 2 in which each cylinderis provided with a fuel inlet port near its closed end, said port beingclosed by its associated piston at the initiation of combustion in itsassociated combustion chamber.
 4. The engine of claim 3 in which eachplug is formed with an exhaust port which is closed when said plug is inpiston-port-closing position.
 5. The engine of claim 3 including aone-way valve in said fuel inlet port closing said inlet port duringcombustion in its associated combustion chamber.
 6. The engine of claim1 in which each cylinder is counterbored to define, near its inner end,an outwardly facing stop to limit inward movement of said piston bodyand of said plug, said piston body being longer than said plug so that,under the influence of combustion pressure in any cylinder, theassociated piston body and plug will move inwardly together until saidbody encounters said stop, whereafter said plug will continue to moveinwardly until said plug encounters said stop, thereby opening the axialport of said piston body.